911 Notes: Violent crime, bathroom breaks, toys taken

911 notes is a round-up of news and notes by Times police reporter Lucas Murray about police, fire and emergency medical services people in Gloucester County. It also runs in print most Saturdays. Have something newsworthy that doesn't make the crime blotter? E-mail your ideas to lmurray@sjnewsco.com.

-- Didn't mention it here before, but the instances of violent crime and murder dropped one percent in 2008 statewide, making it the seventh straight year there was a drop in the violent crime index.

Attorney General Anne Milgram

"I believe the continued drop in violent crime and the reduction in the number of murders in our state demonstrate that our aggressive anti-crime campaign against street gangs, violent criminals and gun and drug trafficking is making a difference," Attorney General Anne Milgram said.

Prosecutor Sean Dalton

"We do see fluctuations in the overall crime rate from year to year," Prosecutor Sean Dalton said explaining the increase here.

A further recap of the Uniform Crime Report appeared in an earlier edition of the Times.

-- Over in Mantua Township, Captain Ed Powell reports a DWI checkpoint conducted in the township Sept. 4 netted four arrests for drunk driving, one fugitive arrest, two arrests for outstanding warrants and 36 summonses issued.

Powell praised the efforts of the officers involved, which also included members of the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.

-- The 8th Annual Ride to Remember is Sunday, benefiting the Gloucester County Hero Scholarship Fund.

The non-profit organization provides immediate assistance to a survivor's family within 48-hours of a line of duty death. It also looks to continue survivor's children's education with post-secondary scholarships.

The 63-mile ride goes through the backroads of Gloucester, Salem and Cumberland counties, all in the memory Washington Twp. Cpl. Steve Levy, who was killed in October of 1999.

-- Overheard on the Scanner: Tuesday, 5:37 p.m., about a fast food restaurant on the Black Horse Pike. "Man went in the bathroom ten minutes ago and has not come out."

-- Brief congratulations to those given temporary promotion wearing the uniform of Delaware River Port Authority Police.

Police officers Kevin Fennell, Sr., Matthew Gorman, Thomas Jeffers, Jr., and Allison Mankoski were all elevated to acting corporals for the period of Aug. 8 to Oct. 8.

You may remember Mankoski as the officer on patrol in September of 2008 at the PATCO Broadway Station who spotted someone she recognized from a surveillance photo.

Mankoski, a Franklinville resident, followed the man down to the train platform where she determined he was a man wanted in connection with two local bank robberies -- one of them at the Bank of America in Washington Township.

-- From the Crime Log: Monroe Township police were dispatched to the Pike Inn for a report from a 22-year-old Clementon man who reported, among other things, $110 in adult toys taken from his room.

-- Hearing more and more on the police radio that residents are calling in reports of suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. Police can't be everywhere at one time, leaving the public to be their eyes and ears in many cases.

Police in Monroe nabbed someone last week who was entering unlocked cars. He was caught because of an alert resident.